Kindergarten

Important Dates

Tuesday 7th May - Banksia Water Safety Incursion

Thursday 9th May - Wattle Water Safety Incursion

Friday 10th May - Waratah Mothers Day Morning Tea - 9.15am - 10.15am

                                - Wattle Mothers Day Afternoon Tea - 2pm - 3pm

Monday 13th May - Banksia Mothers Day Afternoon Tea - 2pm - 3pm

Tuesday 14th May - Lasiandra Mothers Day 

Tuesday 21st May - Lasiandra and Banksia Photo Day

Thursday 23rd May - Waratah and Wattle Photos Day

Monday 27th May - National Reconciliation Week 

Monday 10th June - King's Birthday Public Holiday - Kinder Closed

Tuesday 11th June - Banksia Wildlife Incursion 

Thursday 12th June - Wattle Wildlife Incursion

4 YO Library Sessions

The 4 YO groups have started their weekly visits to the school library this term.  This is a great opportunity for the children to bring home a different book to share with their family each week.  Reading to your child has so many benefits, including creating beautiful bonding moments between you and your child, a love of reading as well as increased success in reading skills later in school.  

This experience also assists the children in transitioning to school through experiencing the movement as a group to another location and taking repsonsibility for their belongings.  If your child is attending Vermont PS they have the added bonus of being exposed to different areas of the school.  Both these aspects will increase their success in transitioning to school.

Please remember to send you child with a library bag each week.

Sessions are:

Lasiandra - Monday 11.50am 

Waratah - Thursday 11.10am

Self Help Skills

It can be faster, more efficient and less messy to do things for children, but they learn so much from doing things on their own. 

When children practice self-help skills such as feeding and dressing themselves, they practice their large and small motor skills, gain confidence in their ability to try new things and build their self-esteem and pride in their independence.

Self-help skills are worth the time and effort. The secret to success is to give children age-appropriate experiences and provide the appropriate supports to help children be successful. We can offer opportunities for children to develop self-help skills and give them time to work on these important tasks, however, please remember that ALL adults are important role models and children learn a great deal from their daily interactions with you as their parents, as well as us here at kinder.  It is a team effort!

What are the building blocks necessary to develop self care skills?

• Hand and finger strength: An ability to exert force against resistance using the hands and fingers for utensil use.
• Hand control: The ability to move and use the hands in a controlled manner such as cutlery use for eating.
• Sensory processing: Accurate registration, interpretation and response to sensory stimulation in the environment and one’s own body.
• Object manipulation: The ability to skilfully manipulate tools, including the ability to hold and move pencils and scissors with control, controlled use of everyday tools such as a toothbrush, hairbrush, and cutlery.
• Expressive language (using language): The use of language through speech, sign or alternative forms of communication to communicate wants, needs, thoughts and ideas.
• Planning and sequencing: The sequential multi-step task/activity performance to achieve a well-defined result (e.g. dressing and teeth cleaning).
• Receptive language (understanding): Comprehension of language.
• Compliance: Ability to follow simple adult-directed routines (i.e. doesn’t demonstrate avoidance behaviours where the child simply doesn’t want to do it because an adult is telling them to do it and interrupting what they were doing).

Independant Dressing:

Encourage children to dress by themselves; just provide minimal assistance. Begin with encouraging them to help pull socks on and off, pull up pants after nappy changes or toileting and help put their arms through sleeves. Our 4 YO kinder children are ready to be encouraged to dress themselves, maybe just help with challenging steps such as zipping and buttoning.

Meal Times:

Let children be as independent as possible during mealtimes. Give them the tools they need to be successful. Consider the lunch boxes and containers being sent along to kinder.  Ensure your child can open these by practicing at home together.  Encourage children to try for themselves but provide help and encouragement when needed so they don't get frustrated.

Picture Plates Fundraiser

We are running a Pictureproducts melamine plate activity and we'd love you to join in. Your child's unique artwork is transformed into durable, high-quality melamine Pictureplates that will last a lifetime.

Both decorative and useful, Pictureplates are simply beautiful. Children love eating off their very own Pictureplates, and as the years go by and they grow up and have their own families, their Pictureplates will bring back memories of those happy childhood years.

Your child can use photos, markers, paints and handprints to create their artworks, and you can have as many copies made as you'd like, so it's a fantastic gift idea for grandparents and other family members. What will your child draw?

How to get involved:

1.    Fill out the order form attached in the email sent this week and return it to your child’s teacher at kinder.

-    Pay for your order online by clicking the button below.  Please note a $1 payment processing surcharge will be applied.

-    Orders and payments are due in by 7th May 2024.

-    Drawings will be done at home.

2.    Collect the drawing paper from one of your child’s teachers and create your artworks at home with pens, paint, stickers, fingers, feet and photos—the brighter the better!

-    Return your drawings to the kinder when complete.

-    Drawings are due in by 14th May 2024.

3.    Create your artworks at home with pens, paint, stickers, fingers, feet and photos—the brighter the better!

-    Return your drawings to the kinder when complete.

-    Drawings are due in by 14th May.

4.    Once your order is completed at the Pictureproducts factory, it will be posted back to the Kinder. We will let you know when your order is ready for collection.

4 YO Program

Just a snap shot of what's been happening in our 4 YO programs over the past fortnight...

We have been developing an interest as well as the skills to enjoy group games that require rules.  This has led to small group games like memory etc and also large group games like "What's the time Mr Wolf?".

We are also developing strength in our upper body muscles and enjoying not only the skills of climbing the trees but also working out ways to get up into the branches, like building tyre towers to help those who are a little shorter.  Such great problem solving skills!

We have also been drawing self portraits.  These are great to compare over the course of the year as our fine motor skills grow and our control of our pencils become greater.  We also usually add more and more detail to our drawings as our confidence in our skills grow.